Method and means for storing, transporting and final mixing of cementitious material



Aug. 11, 1964 w. A. RETZLAFF 3,144,242

METHOD AND MEANS FOR STORING, TRANSPORTING AND FINAL MIXING OF CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 10, 1965 HIIIIIIIII mun QMM Aug. 11, 1964 w. A. RETZLAFF 3,144,242

METHOD AND MEANS FOR STORING, TRANSPORTING AND FINAL MIXING 0F CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 10, 1965 im IVE/[2m 4. 1 1 27 United States Patent METHOD AND MEANS FOR $TORING, TRANS- PORTTNG AND FINAL MIXING 0F CEMEN- TITIUUS MATERIAL William A. Retzlaii, 9633 Harding Blvd, Wauwatosa, Wis. Filed Jan. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 250,571 7 Claims. (Cl. 259-148) This invention relates to the preparation of cementitious material for use at a construction site or the like, and refers more particularly to a method and means for storing and transporting dry cementitious mix and for mixing the same with water preparatory to its use.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a novel container in which a dry mix for mortar, grout, concrete or similar cementitious material can be conveniently stored and transported and in which such material can be mixed with water immediately prior to its use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of storing and handling premixed cementitious material in dry form, transporting it to a site where it is to be used, and mixing it with water to prepare it for use, all without removing the material from a container into which it is initially charged in dry form and from which it is eventually discharged ready for immediate use.

It will be apparent that the invention has among its objects the provision of a method and means for handling cementitious material whereby certain very important advantages are obtained, including the following:

Accurate control over proportioning of the materials comprising a cementitious mix;

Storage and transportation of dry premixed cementitious material in such a manner as to assure that the same will be maintained in a dry state and will not be subject to deterioration due to moisture;

Simplified, more convenient and less expensive storage and transportation of dry premixed cementitious material without loss or waste due to leakage from the container or rupture thereof;

Facilitating the addition of exactly the correct proportion of water to the dry mix during final preparation;

Provision for final mixing in batches of substantially the quantities immediately needed, to avoid waste of unused prepared material; and

Provision for simplified transportation of the material in wet mixed form, from the mixer to the site of immediate use.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method and means for handling, transporting and mixing cementitious material whereby final wet mixing of the material can be done with a very simple, compact and inexpensive mixing apparatus.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a novel reuseable container in which cementitious mix can be stored and transported in dry form, and in which such material can be mixed with water for final preparation and can be transported in fully prepared form to the site of immediate use.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a container for cementitious material embodying the principles of this invention, shown in operative relation to a mixing apparatus which is illustrated more or less diagrammatically, portions of the container being broken away; and

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the container and mixing apparatus shown in FIGURE 1, portions of the container again being broken away.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 5 designates generally a bag-like container for cementitiou material, in which such material can be stored and transported in a dry state, can be mixed with water to prepare it for use, and can then be transported to the immediate site where it is to be used.

The container comprises, in general, a substantially cylindrical body member 6 having large coaxial openings '7 and 8 in its end walls 9 and iii, a readily displaceable closure 11 for the opening 7 in the end wall 9 of the body member, a rigid wall member 12 which closes the other opening 8, and a duct 13 which extends coaxially through the wall member 12 and a substantial distance into the interior of the container.

The body member 6 is made of a supple, tough and waterproof material such as neoprene, and is of course preferably formed in one piece. it can be: provided with one or more vanes or fins 14 which project radially inwardly from its side wall and which extend along its entire length, to improve the mixing action that takes place Within the container as it is revolved, as explained hereinafter. The opening 3 in the end wall it) of the body member need be only large enough to admit the duct 13, but since that end of the container must be stiffened anyway, it is convenient and economical to make both openings '7 and 8 of the same diameter.

The rigid wall member 12 which closes the coaxial opening 8 in the end wall iii of the body member can be a metal plate or disc which is somewhat larger in diameter than the opening 8 so as to flatwise overlie the marginal edge portion of the end Wall 10 around. that opening. The disc 12 is coaxially secured to the end wall It of the body member, in sealing engagement therewith, by means of a clamping ring 15, which flatwise overlies the inner surface of the end wall ll) around the opening 8, and bolts 16 which pass through the disc and the end wall iii and which are threaded into the clamping ring.

The disc 12 provides a rigid support for the duct 13 by which the same is held coaxial with the side wall 17 of the container, with its mouth 13 approximately midway between the end walls of the container. As shown in FIGURE 1 the pipe section which comprises the inner portion of the duct 13 terminates in the disc 12, and a separate nipple 19 or the like provides an outwardly projecting extension of the duct; but it will be understood that the extension 19 could be integral with the main portion of the duct so long as there is a good seal between the duct and the disc 12. In the outer projecting portion or extension 19 of the duct there are a manually controllable valve 20 through which water can be filled into the container and a check valve 21, which can be similar to a conventional automobile tire valve, through which air under pressure can be charged into the container.

Cementitious material is filled intoand discharged from the container through the opening 7 at its other end, and the marginal edge portion of the end wall 9 around that opening is therefore reinforced and stiffened by inner and outer coaxial metal rings 23 and 24, which are secured to the body member, in clamping relation to said end wall, by means of countersunk cap screws 25 that extend through the outer ring 24 and the end wall 9 and are threaded into the inner ring 23.

The closure Ill is a generally circular fiat disc having three lobes at substantially equispaced intervals around its circumference. It is mounted for edgewise swinging movement in a plane normal to the axis of the container by means of a hand screw 26 that extends through one of the lobes, designated 27, and is threaded into the outer ring 24. The other two lobes 28 on the closure plate are hook-like, defining slots 29 which open in the same circumferential direction and in which are received hand screws 30 that are similar in all respects to the hand screw 26. A resilient annular gasket 32, seated in an axially outwardly opening coaxial groove in the outer ring 24, insures a good seal between the closure plate or gate 11 and the outer ring 24 when the three hand screws 26 and 39 are tightened, and such tightening of the hand screws also prevents the gate from being swung about the hand screw 26. When the three hand screws 26 and 34) are loosened, the hand screw 26 serves as a pivot about which the gate can be swung to and from its open position. A handle 33 on the closure plate, secured near the edge thereof and at some distance from the pivot hand screw 26, facilitates such opening and closing movement of the gate.

To facilitate charging dry material into the container or bag, a pair of eye bolts 34 are secured in the outer ring 24, at diametrically opposite locations where they will not interfere with swinging of the gate to and from its open position. It will be apparent that the container can thus be filled by means of an apparatus (not shown) having a discharge spout with hooks at opposite sides thereof on which the eye bolts 34 are hung, so that dry cementitious material can issue from the spout directly into the opening 7 without any waste or spillage.

It is intended that the container be fiiled to substantially less than half its volume, so that there is a considerable amount of empty space in it by which mixing is facilitated. Not all of this space is wasted during storage and transportation of the dry material, however, because the suppleness of the body member 6 enables it to collapse to a substantial extent when other similar containers are piled upon it.

It will be apparent that the dry material charged into the bag can be carefully controlled, both as to proportioning of the ingredients of the mix and quantity filled into the bag, since such premixing and filling can take place at a suitably equipped central premixing plant. Because the quantity of material in the container is accurately predetermined, it is possible to specify the exact quantity of water that should be charged into the container to produce an optimum finished mix for the intended purpose.

Because the bag or container of this invention is both waterproof and substantially air tight, the dry premixed material therein will remain in the dry state until prepared for use, even though the container is stored under very unfavorable conditions of humidity, dampness or actual flooding, such as would produce caking and deterioration of such material if it were stored in containers of the types heretofore in common use.

Water is of course added to the contents of the container just before the material is to be put to use. This is accomplished by connecting a hose or the like from a water source (not shown) to the outwardly projecting portion 19 of the duct 13 in the container, and opening the manual water Valve 20. The container should be lying on its side while being filled with Water, preferably on the rollers of the mixing apparatus described hereinafter.

After the proper amount of water has been filled into the container it is inflated with air under pressure, through the air valve 21, to insure that the bag will hold its cylindrical form during the subsequent mixing operation, in which it is rolled about its axis to agitate its contents and thoroughly mix the water with the dry material. Ap proximately three to twenty pounds of air pressure constitutes a suitable inflation, since it is desirable to permit the container side wall to be somewhat yielding in order to promote the mixing action.

The mixing apparatus comprises a pair of horizontal rollers 37 and 38, each having a length substantially equal to that of the container, mounted on a frame 39 in parallel spaced apart relationship so that the container can be rotatably supported by the rollers with its axis parallel to theirs. One of the rollers 37 is mounted for free rotation; the other is rotatably power driven as by an electric motor, gasoline engine or the like (not shown) coupled to the roller 33 by means of a belt 40 or similar transmission. As the roller 38 rotates, it of course causes the container to revolve about its axis, effecting thorough mixing of its contents.

After mixing is completed, the container can be removed from the mixing apparatus and transported to the immediate site where the material is needed, as by means of a lift truck or the like. For this purpose the container is provided with another pair of eyebolts 41 secured in the disc 12 and clamping ring 15 at the permanently closed end of the container.

When the container is suspended from the eyebolts 41, pressurized air can be released from it, as by opening the water valve 20. The location of the mouth 18 of the duct 13 near the center of the container insures that none of the contents can escape during release of the pressure air. The contents of the bag can then be discharged through the opening 7 in its bottom by opening the closure or gate 11. The edgewise swinging motion of the gage allows flow of material out of the container to be accurately controlled, so that the contents can be discharged a little at a time, as the material is needed.

The container is of course reuseable, and therefore it is preferably washed out as soon as it is emptied, the opening 7 being large enough to allow this operation to be performed with a hose.

From the foregoing description taken together with the accompanying drawings it will be apparent that this invention provides an eflicient and economical method of storing and transporting dry premixed cementitious material and of mixing the same with water preparatory to its use. It will also be apparent that the invention provides a reuseable bag-like container for dry premixed cementitious material, in which such material can be stored and transported without danger of spillage, leakage or deterioration from the effects of humidity and dampness, and in which such material can also be throughly mixed with an exactly proportioned quantity of water by means of a very simple mixing apparatus and then conveniently transported from the mixing apparatus to the site of immediate use.

What is claimed as my invention is:

1. The method of preparing mixed cementitious material for use at a construction site, which method is characterized by the steps of:

(A) partially filling a dry cementitious mix into a bag which is round in cross section and which has a Waterproof and supple side wall, for storage and transportation of-the dry mix;

(B) sealingly closing the bag;

(C) when the material is needed, charging water into the bag in a quantity proportional to the amount of dry mix therein;

(D) charging air under pressure into the bag to the extent necessary to render the bag substantially form retaining;

(E) rolling the bag to thoroughly mix the water and cementitious material; and

(F) emptying the mixed cementitious material out of the bag.

2. The method of preparing mixed cementititous material for use at a construction site, which method is characterized by the steps of:

(A) transporting a quantity of dry cementitious mix to the construction site in a substantially cylindrical bag having a waterproof and supple side wall and having a volume substantially greater than that of said quantity of material;

(B) when the material is needed, charging water into the bag in a quantity proportional to the amount of cementitious mix therein;

(C) charging air under pressure into the bag to the extent necessary to render the bag substantially form retaining;

(D) rolling the bag on its axis to thoroughly mix the water and cementitious mix;

(E) releasing pressurized air from the bag; and

(F) discharging the wet mixed cementitious material from the bag.

3. A container for storing and transporting cementitious mix in a dry state and for mixing such material with water at a location where the cementitious mix is-to be used, said container comprising:

(A) a body member having a side wall of supple, tough and waterproof material and which is round in cross section, said body member having an opening coaxial with said side wall, through which dry cementitious mix can be charged into the container and wet mixed cementitious material can be discharged therefrom;

(B) substantially rigid closure means readily displaceable secured to the body member, for closing the opening therein;

(C) a rigid tube extending into the body member, substantially coaxially with said side wall, through which water can be charged into the container to be mixed with dry cementitious mix therein; and

(D) means comprising a valve thorugh which air under pressure can be charged into the container to hold the side Wall of the body member rigid enough to support the container for rolling motion about the axis of its side Wall.

4. Means for storing and transporting cementitious mix in a dry state and for mixing such mix with water at a location where it is to be used, said means comprising:

(A) a substantially cylindrical container of supple, tough and waterproof material having an opening in one end thereof through which dry cementitious mix can be filled into the container and wet mixed cementitious material can be discharged therefrom;

(B) readily displaceable closure means for closing said opening;

(C) a duct projecting into the container substantially coaxially from the other end thereof, through which water can be filled into the container to be mixed with dry cementitious mix therein;

(D) projecting means extending substantially radially inwardly from the side wall of the container, for agitating the contents of the container when the same is rotated on its axis; and

(E) means comprising a valve through which air under pressure can be charged into the container so that it will retain its form when it is rotated on its axis to agitate its contents.

5. The container of claim 4, further characterized by:

(A) rigid means at said other end of the container for preventing collapse of the wall at said other end of the container when the container is supported from said end thereof; and

(B) fastening means carried by said rigid means, by which the container can be hung from an elevated hoist or the like to facilitate discharge of mixed contents therefrom through said opening at its first designated end.

6. The container of claim 4, wherein said closure means comprises a plate like element mounted for edgewise swinging motion in a plane substantially normal to the container axis so as to serve as a gate by which the discharge of mixed contents from the container through said opening can be controlled.

7. A mixer for cementitious material comprising:

(A) a cylindrical container of waterproof supple material having an opening at one end thereof through which dry cementitious mix can be charged into the container and wet cementitious mix can be discharged therefrom;

(B) a readily removable closure for said opening;

(C) means for filling water into the container to be mixed with dry cementitious material therein;

(D) means for charging air under pressure into the container so that the container will hold its form even though only partially filled with cementitious mix; and

(E) agitator means projecting into the interior of the container from the side wall thereof and by which the contents of the container can be agitated in consequence of rotation of the container about its axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,018,880 Brugmann Jan. 30, 1962 3,097,677 Mitchell July 16, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 835,974 Great Britain June 1, 1960 

7. A MIXER FOR CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL COMPRISING: (A) A CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER OF WATERPROOF SUPPLE MATERIAL HAVING AN OPENING AT ONE END THEREOF THROUGH WHICH DRY CEMENTITIOUS MIX CAN BE CHARGED INTO THE CONTAINER AND WET CEMENTITIOUS MIX CAN BE DISCHARGED THEREFROM; (B) A READILY REMOVABLE CLOSURE FOR SAID OPENING; (C) MEANS FOR FILLING WATER INTO THE CONTAINER TO BE MIXED WITH DRY CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL THEREIN; (D) MEANS FOR CHARGING AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO THE CONTAINER SO THAT THE CONTAINER WILL HOLD ITS FORM EVEN THROUGH ONLY PARTIALLY FILLED WITH CEMENTITIOUS MIX; AND (E) AGITATOR MEANS PROJECTING INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER FROM THE SIDE WALL THEEOF AND BY WHICH THE CONTENTS OF THE CONTAINER CAN BE AGITATED IN CONSEQUENCE OF ROTATION OF THE CONTAINER ABOUT ITS AXIS. 